Miracles can Happen
by ameriker
Summary: Victor died that night on the pier.....or did he???


MIRACLES CAN HAPPEN  
  
Ok, this is my first attempt at writing a fan fic, so any feedback would be appreciated. This story is copyrighted by me, ameriker, 1998. Please do not use it without my permission. I will also say that these characters are not mine, they belong to Bill Nuss and USA Network. I am not profiting by writing this story. I hope you enjoy it. You can email me at ameriker@yahoo.com with any questions or comments.  
  
They sat there stunned. The thought of losing one of their best friends hurt so much. Lt. TC Callaway, Sgt. Cory McNamara and Officer Chris Kelly couldn't believe he was gone. They watched as two men took Victor's body and put him into the ambulance. An autopsy would be performed the next day, or so Victor's friends thought. As the ambulance pulled away, the three friends repeated the Serenity Prayer to themselves, as a tribute to their friend:   
  
God, grant me the Serenity to accept   
  
the things I cannot change,  
  
Courage to change the things I can,   
  
and Wisdom to know the difference.  
  
After the ambulance was out of site from the pier, the ambulance stopped. In the ambulance, the two men laughed.   
  
"Ha ha! We pulled it off, Boss is going to be so happy!," said Derek.   
  
"Don't go getting excited yet, little brother, we have to get this guy there alive, or else. Check and make sure he's still breathing," said Martin.   
  
"That drug that we gave him sure did its job!," laughed Derek.  
  
"Boss will be glad to know that his drug works, and this guy is living proof. Once his friends learn that a drug is available that will paralyze people and slow their breathing enough its hardly detectable and keep them alive, money will come rolling in," Martin said excitingly.  
  
Back at the firehouse, everything was somber. People, colleagues of Victor's, his friends, were told of his death. For the rest of that day, it was hard to work. TC sat in his office, silent and saddened. He recalled many good times he had with Victor and the fun that Victor brought with him. Like the time when he was shot in the butt in the bank hold-up, and how he and Cory brought out the bike with the padded seat. He laughed as remembered how embarrassed Victor was. Just then, TC's wife, Chris, walked in looking extremely upset.   
  
"Sweetie, what's wrong?," TC asked.  
  
"I think Victor hated me before he died," Chris said, beginning to cry.  
  
"What, why do you say that?," now a concerned TC asked.  
  
"Before he died, I saw him on the pier, and he asked why I didn't save Linda," cried Chris, who was more upset than before, "he blames me for not saving her. I let him down TC, and now he's gone, and I don't know if I can forgive myself now."  
  
"Look, Chris, Victor knows you did all you could, he was just upset, Linda's death   
  
took something from him, he was searching for someone to blame for it, he knows   
  
it wasn't your fault, it's just, you were there when he had to let some steam go, and the jerk who killed her wasn't." TC stated.  
  
TC reaches over and gives Chris a hug. He knows deep down that's how Victor felt. He could never hate anyone. Except the person who killed Linda.   
  
"It's just so hard, I was there, I saw everything. All I wanted to do was tell Victor  
  
how sorry I was, and hold him, but he pushed me away. Now it's too late," Chris said.  
  
TC holds his wife even tighter.   
  
The ambulance carrying Victor's body, still alive, but unconscious and badly hurt, pulled into an abandoned warehouse. A man with dark hair stood waiting for this special delivery. He directed the ambulance into place. The two men got out and walked toward the man.   
  
"Hey, Boss, we got what you wanted," said Derek.   
  
"Officer Victor Del Toro, alive, just like you wanted him. Now, where's our money?," said Martin.  
  
"Let me see him first, before I give you any money," ordered Leonard, the dark-haired man.   
  
"Right this way, Boss," exclaimed Martin.  
  
The three men walked to the back of the ambulance. Martin opened the door, and he and Derek pulled out the stretcher. Victor's body laid still.   
  
"What is this? I thought you told me he is still alive? This guy looks dead, you idiot!," said Leonard frustratingly.  
  
"He isn't dead Boss, we poisoned the drink he had before he fell of the pier, and  
  
he is just how you wanted him, he can't move and he can't wake up, till the stuff wears off.," said Derek.  
  
"Yeah, and the best part is, his friends, you know, the other cops, think he is dead.   
  
Wouldn't they like to know the truth," laughs Martin.  
  
"Yeah, whatever, look, go get Mallory, and tell her to nurse this guy back to health, so we can get our plan started," demanded Leonard.  
  
"Gotcha boss!," said Derek, who rushed in to get Mallory, Leonard's girlfriend, who is a registered nurse.  
  
"Let's get this guy inside to the bed," said Leonard.  
  
"Ok, let's go." Martin agreed.  
  
It was now the next day, the day Victor's friends who have to say goodbye forever. TC and Chris woke up early in the morning, knowing today would be one of the hardest days in their lives.   
  
"I don't know if I can do this," said TC, who was going to give the eulogy.  
  
"Yes you can, just say what your heart tells you, and it will be perfect," Chris stated supporting her husband.   
  
Meanwhile, Cory was at her apartment, wishing to herself, asking Victor and Linda to take care of the daughter she lost.   
  
"I didn't get a chance to tell you this when you were here, Victor, that I was going to have a baby, a little girl. She didn't get a chance to live, I didn't even get to see her. I just want to ask you to take care of her for me. Please just love her and care for her like I did and would have if she were still here. I know that you two would have made great parents, and I know you will love her like you would your own. Thank you so much for that." cried Cory, remembering how it felt to lose her baby, and now having to go through it again losing a good friend.  
  
Back at the warehouse, Victor started to regain his thoughts. He struggled to try to open his eyes, but they wouldn't open. He tried to move his arms and legs, but nothing was moving.  
  
"What is going on, I remember telling TC, Chris and Cory goodbye, but I am not dead, am I? Is this what it feels like to be dead? Where is Linda, if I were dead I would be with her, I have to see her, she is the reason I wanted to die. She is my life, and if I don't have her in my life, I don't want to live. Is this what heaven looks like?," Said a confused Victor to himself.  
  
Wait, I can't be talking to myself if I am dead. Why can't I open my eyes, or move my arms and legs? What the hell is going on?," Victor said as he struggled to figure out what is happening to him.  
  
As he lay there trying to fight the paralysis he seemed to be in, he became tired, and stopped fighting. He slowly drifted off to sleep, which was much needed. Since Linda died, he hardly slept, and if he did, he had nightmares of the day he lost her. Every time he closed his eyes, he would relive the ride in the ambulance and losing Linda.  
  
"Victor," said a voice. "Victor, wake up."  
  
"What's going on?," said Victor still half asleep.  
  
"Victor, mi amor, wake up, I'm here", said the voice.  
  
Victor was more awake now then before.  
  
"Linda? Is it really you?," said Victor, not knowing what to make of this situation yet.   
  
"Yes, my love," said Linda, smiling.  
  
"But, you, you're dead! Am I dead too?," asked Victor.  
  
"No, you're not dead, it's not your time yet." responded Linda.  
  
"But, I wanna be dead, I wanna be here with you, I have missed you so much. You don't know what it has been like living with out you." cried Victor.   
  
"I do know, I have been your angel, it hurts me to see what you have done with yourself," declared Linda.  
  
"I have no reason to live now that you are gone," said Victor.  
  
"Yes, you do, you have friends, you have TC, Chris and Cory. Right now, they   
  
are on the way to your funeral.," said Linda.  
  
"My funeral? I thought you said I wasn't dead.," asked Victor.  
  
"You aren't. They think you are though. You are being held by three men who  
  
drugged you and are going to use you as an example for a new drug they created. They took you from where you fell, where TC, Chris and Cory thought you died and brought you to this abandoned warehouse." Linda told him.  
  
"What?!?," exclaimed Victor.   
  
After thinking about it for a minute, Victor smiled.  
  
"Maybe it is for the best. I won't have to face them. I won't have to be ashamed of the way I have been acting since I got back," stated Victor.  
  
"What are you saying? This is not the Victor I know and fell in love with. The   
  
Victor I fell in love with would never turn his back on his friends, especially not TC, Chris and Cory," said Linda.  
  
"But Chris didn't protect you, you died because she didn't keep you safe," argued Victor.  
  
"No, Victor, Chris did her job, she didn't know that I had been shot, she did what  
  
she was supposed to, it is not her fault I died, you can't blame her," Linda responded.   
  
"I know, I don't blame her, it's just that I didn't know who else to blame," Victor  
  
said.  
  
"You should blame the jerks who shot me, not the one who tried to save my life,"  
  
Linda said.  
  
"You're right, you always are. I just wish there was a way I could tell Chris how sorry I am for blaming her. I wish I could take it all back. Now it might all be too late," said Victor.  
  
"Don't worry, you will get a chance, trust me," said Linda.  
  
Back at the firehouse, Victor's friends and colleagues are getting ready for the funeral procession to begin. Bikes, squad cars and horses are all lining up. TC, Chris and Cory are dressed in their uniforms. They know this will be a very rough day. TC and Chris are in TC's office talking. Cory walks up to the office.  
  
"Hi guys, I um, just wanted to let you know I called Tony last night. I told him about Victor," said Cory.  
  
"Is he ok?," asked Chris?  
  
"He was upset, but I think he will be ok. He said he really wanted to be here today, but his flight wouldn't get here in time. He said he will call us soon," said Cory.  
  
"Thanks Cory. I know Tony would want to know about what happened," said TC  
  
"No problem," responded Cory.  
  
From downstairs, Officer Russ Granger called up to the office. TC picked up the phone.   
  
"They are ready to go Lieutenant," said Russ.  
  
"Thanks Granger," said TC.   
  
TC hung up the phone. And turned to Chris and Cory.  
  
"They're ready for us," said TC.  
  
The three remaining friends walked downstairs. It was time for them to get in line and lead the procession. Even though Victor wasn't a cop anymore, TC asked for permission to give Victor a full police funeral with honors. He had deserved it. He was a great police officer. After they got in line, the procession began. People had lined the streets to pay tribute to the fallen hero. Soon, the procession pulled into the cemetery. As people were being seated, TC walked past the casket to the podium and waited. What he didn't know was that the casket was empty. After everyone had been seated, TC began the eulogy.   
  
"Victor Del Toro was a great friend. My best friend. And he was a great cop.   
  
He always cared about people and did what he could to help them out. Even in the   
  
end, he was hurting so much from the death of Linda, he still helped someone else. He saved a little girl's life. That was the Victor I know and the Victor I will remember. He was not the same after Linda died, this is what he wanted. He wanted to die and be with her. I know that right now, he is looking down on us. Smiling because he got what he wanted. To be with the love of his life. I will miss you man," said TC, wiping tears from his eyes.  
  
TC sat back down and Chris took his hand. Cory took a tissue from her pocket and wiped her eyes as well. How would they be able to live with this. Their friend was gone.   
  
Back at the warehouse, the three men stood watching Mallory check Victor's vitals. She looked up at them and Leonard began walking over to her. Derek and Martin followed.   
  
"Well, how is he?," grumbled Leonard.  
  
"He is still alive, vitals are getting better," said Mallory.  
  
"Well the next batch of the drug should be done tomorrow. Let's just hope he doesn't wake up before then," said Leonard.  
  
"Yeah cause once he gets one more dose, we can get buyers in here and make some money," said Martin.  
  
What the three men didn't know was that even though Victor couldn't open his eyes or move his arms and legs yet, he could still hear.   
  
"Oh my god, what are they going to do to me?," said a worried Victor.  
  
"They have drugged you and are planning on using you as an example of what the drug can do," responded Linda.  
  
"I can't let them do this to me. What if the drug kills me?," said Victor, who then looked at Linda sadly. "Wait, what am I saying, I want to die, remember," said Victor.   
  
"And I told you, it is not your time. I love you with all my heart and soul, but it is not your time to die just yet. There are some people who still need you. And you need them too," said Linda.  
  
"Who? TC, Chris and Cory?," asked Victor curiously.  
  
"No, not them. I mean they need you too, but I was talking about Serenity and her mom. I know it hurts you that I am gone, but as much as I wish I didn't have to say this you have to move on. You can't go on wasting your life Victor. You have so much left to live. I will always be in your heart, and I will always be watching over you. But I can't sit here and watch you throw your life away," said Linda.  
  
"You're right. It's just so hard. I can't let these guys hurt me, and I definitely can't let them hurt other people. I guess I should go and try to stop them, huh." said Victor.   
  
"Yes, it's time for you to go. I will love you always mi amor. Remember that. And know that I will not feel betrayed in any way if you fall in love with someone new. I want you to be happy," said Linda.  
  
As she said these words, Victor took Linda in his arms and held her tight. He knew this was the right thing to do.  
  
"You know, the thing that has hurt the most. Is that we didn't get to say I do,"   
  
said Victor, "But you know how I feel, that I love you more than anything in this   
  
world."  
  
"I do," Linda said with a smile.   
  
Victor smiled back. She was finally able to say those two important words. The words that he thought he would never hear.   
  
"Goodbye my love," said Linda.  
  
"Goodbye Linda. I love you," said Victor.  
  
With those last words spoken, Victor closed his eyes.   
  
Back at the warehouse, the three men were working on a new batch of the drug. The buyers would be coming the next day and so they had to have a new batch ready to give Victor to be sure that he wouldn't wake up. If the buyers were impressed, they could get as much as ten million dollars. These buyers that were coming were one of the most influential in the drug and crime world. If they liked this drug, smaller buyers and individual people wanting it, would come, and the more money these men would make.   
  
Victor heard the men talking, but at the same time, he tried to open his eyes. He heard some noise in the room, so he did it ever so slightly. He saw Mallory walking out of the room. He opened his eyes even wider.   
  
"YES! I can open my eyes!," Victor thought to himself with relief, "Now, I gotta   
  
make sure I can move my arms and legs."  
  
Victor slowly tried to move his fingers. He knew that was the best thing, as a big movement would attract the three men's attention. He raised his head some to see if he could tell where he was. He put his head down quickly as he had sustained a concussion in the fall off the pier. Just then, Mallory walked back in to the room, and Victor closed his eyes, so she wouldn't know he was awake.   
  
"I've got to get out of here, I have got to let TC know what these people are doing," thought Victor.  
  
Mallory walked back into the room where the three men were working on the drug. Derek and Martin were laughing and joking around.   
  
"What's so funny?," asked Leonard and Mallory at the same time.  
  
"That guy's friends think he is dead. Wait till they find out he really isn't dead," said Derek, laughing.  
  
"Well, if we have our way, we will make a million bucks before we give this guy  
  
back, if we give him back at all," said Leonard.  
  
Chris and TC were sitting down to dinner, when the doorbell rang. Chris got up to answer the door. It was Cory.   
  
"Hi!," said Cory.  
  
"Hey, Cory, come on in," said Chris.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner, I can come back later," said Cory.  
  
TC walked in the room.  
  
"Hey Cory! No, hey you don't have to go. Would you like to join us?," asked TC.  
  
"No, I, um, am meeting someone in a half hour. I've just been thinking about something," said Cory.  
  
"What is it? You okay?," asked TC.  
  
"Yeah, I am, thanks. I was just thinking that maybe we should write to Carmen and Serenity and let them know what happened to Victor, so that way they don't think he abandoned them. Cause Victor would never do that," said Cory with tears in her eyes, "I just miss him so much, and I know they would want to know what happened to him."  
  
Chris walked over and gave her friend a hug.  
  
"We all miss him, Cory. I think it is a great idea," said Chris.  
  
"So do I," said TC.  
  
"Okay, great. As soon as I get back from my date, I will write one. I will bring it   
  
over tomorrow and let you read it and we can send it out. I will see if there is a   
  
we can get her address too. Maybe Rosa knows," said Cory.  
  
"Ok, sounds great," said TC.  
  
Cory got up and began walking toward the door.  
  
"Well, I better get going. I am sorry to have interrupted your dinner. I am going   
  
to be late for mine, if I don't get moving," said Cory.  
  
"Ok, thanks again Cory," said Chris.  
  
"See you guys later," said Cory.  
  
Cory reached for the door handle. As she opened the door and began walking out, Chris yelled out.   
  
"Hey, Cory, so who are you going on a date with?," asked Chris.  
  
Cory just smiled her big grin, and walked out the door, leaving Chris and TC to wonder.  
  
At the warehouse, Victor was slowly regaining his strength. His concussion was slowly getting better, although he has a major headache. Trying to figure out how he would get out of this mess was making the headache worse. He wanted to get back to his friends. He wanted to tell them how sorry he was for acting the way he did when he came back to Santa Monica. He wanted to explain to them the reasons why he helped Carmen and Serenity. He also wanted to see them again. To see if they made it to Mexico safely. He couldn't explain it, he just had to see them.   
  
"Maybe Linda was right, they do need me. If they are still in trouble, I have to help them. Why did I jump off that pier? I should have waited until I knew they were safe till I killed myself, or at least tried to. I am so stupid. Why? That seems to be all I am asking myself every day for the past year," said Victor to himself.  
  
He knew it was time to make a move. He had to get away from these men before they drugged him again or even worse kill him. He did not want to die. He knew this now. He opened his eyes and looked around. From the corner of his eye, Victor spots a phone. He will call TC as soon as he has the chance.   
  
The three men and Mallory were sitting in room eating lunch. They looked over at the sleeping man, or so they thought. Derek stood over and reached for a baseball and glove he had brought with him in order to keep himself from getting too bored. He began tossing the ball in the air and catching it with his glove. He tossed the ball higher and higher with each throw. He was not the greatest baseball player, so he didn't always catch the ball. With each throw, he got closer and closer to the table that had the new batch of drugs on it.   
  
"HEY!! Watch it you idiot! You're going to hit the table with the drugs on it!!!!," shouted Leonard.  
  
"Derek, get over here and sit down. Geez, man, what do you think you are doing," said his brother.  
  
Derek went back over to the table and sat down. But he brought the baseball and glove with him.  
  
For a few minutes he sat there, calm and still. But after a few minutes, he started tossing the ball again. This time, it was so high, there was no possible way he could catch it. The ball sailed through the air and hit right in the middle of the new batch of the drug. Derek stood there looking stunned. Leonard and Martin ran over to the table. The glass containers holding it shattered everywhere. There was no possible way to recover any of it. They both looked over at Derek.  
  
"Look what you did!!! There is nothing left! Nothing!," shouted Leonard.  
  
"I told you to sit down and stop playing with that damn ball! Now what are we going to do!!!," screamed Martin.  
  
"There is no way to make more and have it ready by the time the buyers get here today! That was the only batch made, the only batch!," exclaimed a furious Leonard.  
  
Leonard was so angry. He ran over to Derek and punched him. At that moment, Mallory yelled out.   
  
"Leonard!," shouted Mallory.  
  
"WHAT!," he yelled back.  
  
"He's waking up!!!," she said.  
  
"Oh great! Just what we needed! Now what the hell are we going to do? There's   
  
no more left. The buyers are going to be here soon, and we have nothing. We are   
  
dead!," yelled Leonard.  
  
Victor could here all the commotion in the background. From what he could make out he knew that glass had broken, and there was no more drugs left. He was so relieved. He knew he had to make his break soon. Time was running out.   
  
Cory walked in her apartment, just back from her date with Officer Bobby Cruz. She couldn't tell Chris and TC about them yet, cause even she and Bobby weren't sure where things are leading. She walked over to the couch and sat down.   
  
"The date was great. I haven't had that much of a good time since Doug and I were dating. I just hope this time it works out. I have had too many heartaches lately. I don't deserve another. I lost my daughter. I lost my friend. I can't lose someone else I care about. Ok, Cory, you've gotta write this letter to Carmen and Serenity. This is going to be a tough letter to write, but I have to do it," said Cory to herself.  
  
The letter went like this:   
  
Dear Carmen and Serenity,  
  
I think this is the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. But I am writing   
  
let you know that the night you left for Mexico, Victor Del Toro was killed. He  
  
was not the same since his fiancee died last year. He hurt so much and all he   
  
wanted to do was die. He got his wish. That night, he knew it was his time to end  
  
his life, because he had helped you two get away safely. There are a lot of regrets   
  
that I have, as Victor's friend, and as a cop. I wish we had known how to help   
  
in the year he was gone. Maybe he wouldn't have hurt so much. Or at least we   
  
could have tried to make the pain easier for him. As for the part about helping him  
  
as a cop, I wish I had known what Victor was involved in, so I could have helped  
  
him, and you. I would have wanted more than anything for Serenity to be safe   
  
with you-her mother. I know how it feels to lose a child. It is something I wish no   
  
mother had to go through. I hope you and she are happy and doing well in  
  
Mexico. If you can, please write back and let us know how you are. We feel like  
  
that even though we didn't know you all too well, you are a part of our lives now,  
  
because you were a part of Victor's life. We want you to know that in no way will  
  
anyone find out where you are. You can once again forward a letter to Rosa and  
  
we will get it. I am sorry to have to let you know about Victor. Please write back soon.   
  
Sincerely,   
  
Cory McNamara, TC Callaway and Chris Kelly.  
  
Cory read over the letter one last time and put it in the envelope. Tomorrow she would take it over to TC and Chris and let them read it.  
  
At the warehouse, Victor was trying to decide when to try to make a break and get away. He heard the door open, and quickly shut his eyes, so they wouldn't know he was awake. He could feel Mallory checking his pulse and blood pressure.   
  
"He looks like he will be out for a while longer," she said.  
  
"Good. Let's all go to the store and when we get back, we will decide what to do," said Leonard.  
  
They walked out and shut and locked the door, just in case. Victor relaxed a little. He heard the outer door shut, and a few seconds later, a car started. Now was his only chance to call TC.  
  
He slowly got up and walked over to the phone. He dialed the number for the firehouse.   
  
At the firehouse, the phone on Chris Kelly's desk rang.   
  
"Hello, Santa Monica Police Department, Officer Kelly speaking," said Chris.  
  
"Chris?," said a weary Victor. He had not been on his feet since before he fell.  
  
"Who is this?" asked Chris, who was waving TC and Cory over to her desk.  
  
"It's me, Victor," he said.  
  
"Is this a joke, cause if it is, it's not funny," said a confused Chris. It sounded like   
  
her friend, but he was dead. She saw him die. "Victor?"  
  
She switched the phone to intercom so Cory and TC could listen.  
  
"Yeah, I, don't know how to explain this, but I'm not dead. I was drugged and   
  
taken to a warehouse. I'm being held here by three men and a woman. They are   
  
making a drug or something and testing it on me. You've got to get over here   
  
soon!," Victor explained.  
  
"Victor, its TC, do you know where the warehouse is?," he asked.  
  
"I am not sure, cause I was unconscious when they brought me here," he responded.  
  
"Victor, is there a window you can look out and see what is around the building?,"   
  
asked Cory.  
  
"Yeah, there is a small window. Hang on one second and I will look," said Victor   
  
as he put the phone down on the counter.  
  
While waiting, the three police officers looked at each other. They knew it was Victor, they knew his voice. He was okay. They were stunned again, but this time with joy, not pain. They smiled.  
  
Soon, Victor was back on the phone.   
  
"There is a playground down the street a little and it is almost right onto the beach," said Victor.  
  
Officer Granger who was standing nearby spoke up.  
  
"I know where that is Lieutenant! I can take you there!," said Russ.  
  
"Okay, Victor, you hold on man! We know where you are, we are on our way  
  
now!," said TC, getting ready to run out the door.   
  
"Okay, hurry TC, these guys should be back soon, and I don't have a lot of strength to fight them off," said Victor.  
  
The phones on both ends hung up. Victor went back to the table and laid down, as he was getting weaker. At the firehouse, TC told everyone that this was the most important thing they would ever have to do in their careers. They all agreed. Russ told everyone where to go, and then hopped on his bike. He and TC would lead the way. Cory and Chris followed behind. Everyone's adrenaline was flowing.  
  
As Victor got back on the bed, he heard a car pull into the parking lot. He knew it couldn't be the police already. It had to be the Derek, Martin, Leonard and Mallory. He got settled back in, just as they walked in the door. He felt encouraged knowing his friends were on the way.  
  
Derek, Martin and Leonard immediately filed into the room that they made the drugs in. Mallory peeked into the room where Victor was laying, and noticed he was still asleep, then she shut the door and walked out.   
  
"He is still out guys. No need to worry yet, except that the buyers are on there   
  
Way and we don't have any drugs made, at least not anymore," said Mallory sarcastically, looking directly at Derek.   
  
Derek quickly turned his head, knowing Martin and Leonard would also be staring at him.  
  
"We don't have a lot of time, we have to get this new batch going," said Leonard.  
  
"Boss, what is that noise?," asked Martin.  
  
"I don't hear anything. Now get back to work," said Leonard.  
  
"Wait, I hear something too!," said Mallory.  
  
"Uh oh! I think it is police sirens!," said Derek.  
  
"You're right! Let's get out of here!" said Martin.  
  
Derek ran for the door to the room where Victor was to hide. As they opened the door, they were surprised to see Victor standing in the door way. He had enough strength left to punch Derek. Derek fell to the floor, and Victor stepped over him. He walked to the main room and saw Martin running toward the outside door. Just as he was to get to the door, TC and Russ busted through it.   
  
"Stop right there! Put your hands up!" shouted TC.   
  
Martin froze. He knew that there was no way out. He knew the place was surrounded. He put his hands up.   
  
"Cuff him Granger. I am going after that one," said TC, pointing to Leonard who was running away.  
  
Chris ran after Mallory and tackled her as she was running through the warehouse.   
  
"I am not going to let you, any of you, take my friend away from me. Or hurt   
  
anyone else for that matter. Considered this business closed," said Chris.  
  
TC caught up with up with Leonard just before he opened the back door. At the very same moment, Bobby burst through the doors. There was no place for Leonard to go. TC and Bobby took both of Leonard's arms. He was struggling, but with the two strong men, there was no way he would get away, no matter how hard he fought.   
  
During the time that TC, Chris, Russ, and Bobby were taking care of the bad guys, Cory was with Victor. She was in shock. He was really standing in front of her. She took her hand and touched his face. It was not a dream, he was really here.   
  
"I, um, don't know what to say. I mean, I, we, thought you were dead. How are you? Are you okay? I mean, we saw you fall, we saw you die, or at least thought we did," said Cory, happily.  
  
"Hey, slow down. I'm ok, I mean, I am sore and I have a headache from the fall, and I think I have a concussion, but I'm ok," said Victor.  
  
All four of the people who held Victor captive were in custody. Another police cruiser had come and taken them to jail. The remaining officers stayed there, staring at their friend who they thought had died.   
  
"I can't believe this. You are really here!," said TC.  
  
"Yeah, I am," said Victor smiling. It was the first real smile he had in almost a year.  
  
"So, you're really ok?," asked Bobby.  
  
"Yeah. I am. In every way. Physically.....and mentally. I know that Linda is ok now, and that I have to live my life. I have friends who need me," said Victor, smiling.  
  
Chris was standing a little ways back from the rest of the group. Victor noticed this and walked over to her.   
  
"Hey, I am sorry about what I said to you on the pier," said Victor.  
  
"It's ok, I deserved it. I mean, I didn't save her," said Chris, who was getting choked up.  
  
"No, you didn't deserve it. You did what you could to save her. I just, it was a tough time, but I know now, that I should never have blamed you. And I apologize for that. I'm sorry Chris," said Victor, who himself was getting choked up.   
  
He reached over and hugged her. The hug between these two friends closed a chapter in both their lives. An understanding was reached that would bond these two together forever.   
  
That night, everyone slept well. Since the night on the pier, TC, Chris and Cory did not sleep well at all. And for Victor, his sleep was disturbed every night since Linda died. The next day he would explain to his friends everything that happened to him while he was being held captive. He would tell them about Linda. But for the night, everyone was peaceful.  
  
The next day, TC, Chris and Cory had the day off. TC had called the Captain, explaining the circumstances, and asked if it would be okay. He agreed wholeheartedly. The Captain told TC to take as much time as they needed. Around ten in the morning, Cory and Victor arrived at Chris and TC's house. They enjoyed a nice, big breakfast and then sat down to talk about the year Victor was gone, and what happened while he was being held. After he was through telling them he had seen Linda, and although he will always love her and miss her, he knew he had to move on with his life. Cory, Chris and TC sat there, silent, drawing in every word. By the time he had finished telling them, they had gone through a box of Kleenex.  
  
"So, are you going to stay here in L.A.?," asked Cory.  
  
"Well, I have been thinking a lot about that. I need to go see my Mom for a while.  
  
I can't wait to see her. Then I am going to go to Mexico. I have to make sure  
  
Carmen and Serenity made it safely," told Victor.  
  
"Well, I have a confession to make. We wrote a letter to them and told them you  
  
died. We thought we should write one, because we didn't want them to think you  
  
abandoned them, because we know you never would have done that. I hope you   
  
don't mind," confessed Cory.  
  
"I don't mind. Thank you. I think they would want to know too. I will surprise   
  
them," said Victor, smiling. "I will not stay away from you guys this time though.   
  
No matter how long I stay with my Mom or with Carmen and Serenity, I am not going to abandon you like I did after Linda died.  
  
Victor's friends were happy to see their friend back. Safe and happy. That was all that mattered to them. It only goes to show that miracles can happen.  
  
THE END 


End file.
